Beirut, Lebanon. The Israeli military warned on Saturday that it may strike ambulances and medical facilities in Lebanon, alleging they are being used unlawfully by Hezbollah, without providing evidence. Hezbollah denied using ambulances or medical facilities for military purposes.
Israeli warning and Hezbollah denial
Israel’s military said Hezbollah was using ambulances “extensively for military purposes,” according to comments on X by the military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichai Adraee, who said such use must immediately stop.
Adraee said that if the practice does not stop, Israel would act “in accordance with international law” against military activity carried out by Hezbollah using these facilities and ambulances.
A Hezbollah official said the group was not using ambulances and medical facilities for military purposes.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request to provide evidence supporting its claim.
Casualties among medics and Israeli precautions
At least 26 medics and first responders have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Israeli military said it takes precautions to try to reduce any harm to civilians.
Escalation across the border
Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire at Israel on March 2, saying it was retaliating for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Israel has since launched an extensive bombing campaign against Hezbollah that has killed more than 700 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more, while Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets across the border.
Leaflets over Beirut and Gaza comparisons
On Friday, Israeli aircraft dropped flyers over Beirut threatening to inflict damage on Lebanon similar to the devastation in Gaza during Israel’s two-year war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and its population largely displaced.
Hospital raids during Gaza war
During its war in Gaza, Israel launched numerous raids and attacks on hospitals, saying they were being used by militants.
Hamas has denied embedding among Gaza’s civilians, though some of its tunnel network has been found running beneath hospitals.
How do you assess the risks to civilians when military forces allege that medical facilities are being used for military purposes?
